5 minutes ago, John said:

YAAASSSSSSS!!! I said months ago that I hope she landed a job on the show. Let's go 3/3 and snag Judy Tate too! 

 

5 minutes ago, BoldRestless said:

TBH, I don't understand why they should require residency, as long as the actor is willing to fly out and not demand a special schedule. But if they must, I assume some of the actors will just rent a small apartment on paper and keep their primary home and travel back and forth.

My guess is budget and time, etc. It reminds me of Dynasty and how the cast lived in Atlanta for filming. I would assume, despite being daytime, it is the same thing, especially for a new production.

8 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

My guess is budget and time, etc. It reminds me of Dynasty and how the cast lived in Atlanta for filming. I would assume, despite being daytime, it is the same thing, especially for a new production.

My thinking exactly

They do not need to worry about where their actors are 

Plus, maybe they get a tax credit of their regular actors are residing in Atlanta? That may also play a part.

Project Casting revealed in April 2024 Susan Dansby's involvement, while also naming her as co-executive producer and head writer. @Errol can you confirm any of this, per chance?

I feel like it's probably incorrect information given it dates back to April, as MVJ is labeling herself on social media as the "Creator, HW, and EP" of the show. Unless Susan is her Co-HW, but she also hasn't been on any of the list of EP's we've been given so far either. 

8 minutes ago, BoldRestless said:

TBH, I don't understand why they should require residency, as long as the actor is willing to fly out and not demand a special schedule. But if they must, I assume some of the actors will just rent a small apartment on paper and keep their primary home and travel back and forth.

Production companies take the term "local hire" very literally and very seriously these days as many have been burned in the past. Actors have played fast and loose with the term when submitting for auditions and booking jobs. Having an old college roommate in Alpharetta who'll let me crash on the futon in the baby's room does not make me an Atlanta local hire when I'm living in Baltimore. Production does not want to worry about you missing your flight, production does not want you working on other projects (period, honestly) that may run long and prevent you from being on time. They want you local and they want to be your first priority. It's very expensive holding up production and sometimes there are circumstances when something needs to be reshot or your schedule is suddenly changed and no one wants to hear that you can't make it. It's a tremendous blessing to be cast as a series regular, one of those opportunities where you pick up and move your life and go all in. 

 

20 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

In light of the first 3 castmembers announced,looking forward to seeing the initial male casting announcements.

I would love to see Redaric Williams, Lawrence St. Victor. Sean Blakemore, and Texas Battle in there. They all got kinda screwed in the soaps.

Edited September 21, 20241 yr by SteelCity

6 hours ago, SteelCity said:

I would love to see Redaric Williams, Lawrence St. Victor. Sean Blakemore, and Texas Battle in there. They all got kinda screwed in the soaps.

All names I would love to see as well. Also Obba Babatundé (perhaps as the Dupree patriarch?), Loren Lott and he's busy so I don't think it would happen, but I'd love to see Lamon Archey.

 

I’m more interested in the unknowns they cast tbh. Soaps can live and die by how charismatic the actors are onscreen despite the material they’re given. I want to see some dynamic, charismatic, and sexy unknowns given a platform to succeed. Given this is a brand new soap, the opportunity is there to help nurture that from the start.

Honestly, getting someone like Tamara Tunie to headline this show was more than I could’ve asked for in terms of “name” talent for a daytime soap opera in this day and age.

When you see how the current soaps are suffocated by choosing to rely on long-term characters and recycled plots, BTG looks so exciting.

MVJ must feel the same having a fresh slate and not having to come up with plots for the likes of Sonny,Ridge etc - characters whose time has come and gone.

1 hour ago, BetterForgotten said:

I’m more interested in the unknowns they cast tbh. Soaps can live and die by how charismatic the actors are onscreen despite the material they’re given. I want to see some dynamic, charismatic, and sexy unknowns given a platform to succeed. Given this is a brand new soap, the opportunity is there to help nurture that from the start.

This is a good point and reminds me that the young leads of a new soap are more make or break than the older cast.

Think Susan Lucci as Erica, Katherine Kelly Lang as Brooke, Gillian Spencer as Viki, or a reference that isn't 40 years old (lol), Lindsay Hartley as Theresa. Passions gets a lot of flack (rightfully so and most it from me) but she carried that show on her BACK for a decade. Even when the material was [!@#$%^&*], which was often, she never was. And she was brand new to acting AND the rigors of daytime.

12 hours ago, John said:

Hearing "first new soap opera in a quarter century" is wild. I remember excitedly following the news leading up to the premiere of Passions. That was a fun summer.

Passions - described as a cross b/w Peyton Place and Twin Peaks.

Sounded intriguing. Those hopes blown to bits by the end of the first episode...

BTG has to hit the ground running. As I said before I hope they are given extra time to tape the first few weeks.

Passions was so bad from the jump. I was a teenager and a longtime fan of supernatural soap like Dark Shadows, I'd watched JER's original Days run and loved a lot of it but I endured that first month of PSSNS like Vietnam and then dipped. No one who didn't imprint on Reilly's work at like age 6 or something could possibly excuse it being what it was.